Strokes of Beauty
by horrific.brat
Summary: "Ever since Sasuke left, you've stopped letting people in. You've even pushed people away..." Her last words came out as whispers, but Sakura had heard them nonetheless.


Strokes of Beauty

Sakura was annoyed.

Ino had dragged her from the comfort of her home once again to discuss her 'romantic life'. Surely the fact that she wasn't interested in dating was _that_ proposturous.. Was it?

Her eyebrow twitched slightly as she thought back on Ino's previous words.

* * *

"Come on, Forehead! Don't give me that look, we need to find you a M-A-N," she said as she waved her finger in the air, emphasizing each syllable.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Instinct, really. Her blonde best friend's antics really could get pretty annoying at times. "I don't know why you're so interested in my love life, Pig."

Ino scoffed. "What love life? Working twelve to sixteen hour shifts at the hospital and spending your _quite_ limited free time at the library and training grounds, _by yourself,_ doesn't leave much room for love. By the time your shift ends, your chakra reserves are almost completely drained, which results in a half-dead Sakura stumbling home, and sleeping a few hours before doing it all over again!" Ino folded her arms across her chest, a soft frown marred her features. "Sakura, you've got to learn to relax more, you're only 17!"

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. "Ino, I'll be fine. The hospital needs me, I _am_ the Hokage's Apprentice after all. As for going to the library during my free time, it relaxes me. The atmosphere eases the tension from my body, but when I'm with others it just doesn't work. The training grounds allow me to vent my frustration, physically, _without_ sending Naruto flying across the village." She opened her eyes to look at Ino - her eyes still held a bit of reluctance in them.

Ino continued to stare at her, her hands moving to rest on her lap. "Sakura... You're lonely."

Sakura blinked. Surely she had heard incorrectly?

"What? Don't be-"

"I see it in your eyes, Sakura. They used to be so full of life!" Ino looked down at her lap, her voice growing softer every second. "Ever since Sasuke left, you've stopped letting people in. You've even pushed people away..." Her last words came out as whispers, but Sakura had heard them nonetheless.

Sakura huffed. She knew her friend was right, she just didn't want to acknowledge that fact.

"I have to go, Ino. I'll see you another time." With that, Sakura got up and let herself out of Ino's room, already knowing the layout of the house by heart. Reaching the front door, she stepped outside before quietly shutting the door behind her.

* * *

As Sakura walked down the road, she rested her chin in her hand as her annoyance died down. Before she knew it, her feet had carried her to the library steps. A small smile worked itself onto her lips. _'I suppose I could pick out a book to take home_.'

Without another thought, Sakura made her way up the steps and into the building. After a few minutes of browsing, she picked up a book about deadly poisons and headed over to the check out desk. She smiled down at the woman behind the counter. She was a lithe lady. Long, silky black hair, as black as the night ran down her back and large brown eyes glistened in the light.

Those eyes just so happened to look right up at her. The edges of her eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled up at Sakura. "Sakura, it's nice to see you."

Sakura smiled back at the girl. "It's nice to see you as well, Anisa. How have you been?"

"I've been wonderful, really. Eiji finally proposed!" The seemingly fragile girl in this point in time was the epitome of happiness. If you focused hard enough, you could almost see the sparkles emanating from her.

Sakura gaped at Anisa. "Really? He finally decided to ask? Little Eiji is growing up! So are you, Anisa. Don't do anything naughty before the wedding night." She smirked as the girls face went red and she started sputtering. "S-Sakura don't tease me like that!" Laughing heartily, Sakura smiled once more. "Yes, yes, I promise I won't. I'm happy for you!" She glanced at the clock on the wall. "I really should get going, though."

Anisa glanced up at the clock before nodding and taking the book from Sakura's hands. She quickly scanned it before handing it back to the rosette and smiled up at her. "There you go, you have it for two weeks, but I know you'll bring it back much sooner." She smirked as Sakura blushed lightly. She knew of Sakura's reading habits and knew she would be back soon.

"Thanks, Anisa. I'll see you soon!" Sakura left the library, book in hand, before resuming her walk down the road. She breathed in through her nose deeply, relishing in the fresh air. The soft breeze tussled her hair lightly as she walked. She didn't feel like going back to her apartment quite yet so she changed her route. After a few minutes, she ended up standing in front of 'her' Cherry Blossom tree. She had played around it when she was a child and she remembered when she started coming to this exact spot whenever she needed to relax. Smiling softly at the memory, she moved to sit underneath the tree and sat with her back against the trunk. Sakura looked up as the wind blew pale pink petals from the branches - she always loved the way they floated in the wind. She thought it was beautiful.

* * *

Sai was walking down the road with a small black book in his hands -his sketch book. He wanted to paint but there was nothing in the village that could satisfy his hunger for vibrancy and personality. He's not good with emotions yet, having been deprived of them from a young age, but the drive and passion for his art has always stayed with him.

Wandering to nowhere in particular, Sai glanced to the side and spotted a flash of pink. He tilted his head slightly and that's when he noticed a figure underneath the tree.

 _'Sakura?"_

Walking over to the rosette, Sai noticed that she was asleep, a small book in her lap. Her head lolled slightly to the side and one of her arms was slumped by her side, the other resting in her lap. The wind blew gently, tussling her hair. Sai froze, watching her rosy locks brush against her pale skin with the wind, pale pink petals a shade lighter than her hair floating around her. Her petite but luscious looking lips puckered slightly as she slept. Long lashes fell upon her cheeks delicately.

 _'Beautiful..."_

Sai slowly pulled out his paint brush, along with his paints. Opening his sketchbook, he began painting, capturing her seemingly ethereal beauty onto paper. His chest clenched tightly as he observed her features. _'Strange.'_ he thought to himself as he continued painting. _'This feeling is foreign to me. Maybe I can read up on it later?'_

After what felt like hours, Sai put down his paint brush and looked over his work. A tiny, sincere smile flitted across his lips before he got up and started packing away all of his possessions. He glanced over at Sakura's sleeping form once more and the clenching sensation in his chest returned. Without thinking about it, Sai removed the painting from the confines of his sketchbook before placing it next to her hand and walking back down the road - to the library.

* * *

Sakura's eyes slowly fluttered open, the world around her darker than she remembered. Sitting herself upright, she stretched her arms above her. Her hand brushed against something beside her and she looked over to see what it was. As she looked down, she saw a piece of...

 _'Sketching paper?'_

Sakura gingerly lifted the piece of paper and what she saw made her widen her already large emerald eyes. It was a painting. Of her. She brushed her finger across the surface, wondering who could have done it. The only person that came to her mind was one pale skinned artist.

 _'Sai.'_

The corners of Sakura's eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled. Her cheeks got warmer as she thought about the boy.

 _'Maybe... Maybe letting someone in wouldn't be so bad. As well as letting others back in.'_ Sakura thought about a certain blonde haired kunoichi and picked herself up, heading back to Ino's house. She did however, tuck the painting into her book. She wanted to be the only one to lay eyes on the beautiful piece of work.

 _'Don't take it personally, Ino. You just blabber to everyone we know and more whenever you can.'_ Her eyes held amusement as she though of the times to come.

Yeah. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.


End file.
